Ratchet brake-lever.



R. H. BLACKALL.

RATCHET BRAKE LEVER. APPLIGATION FILED PB zz. IQi'a.

Patented Jan. 6, 1914.

WITNESSES titl UNlillllE @llld PAENT @hlllQE ROBERT H. BLCKALL, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO RATCHET BRAKE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION 0F DELAWARE.

RATCHET BRAKE-LEVER.

LOSBQ.

To all lwhom it majl/ concern Be it known that l, ROBERT H. BLACKALL,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, county of Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania, and Whose post-office address is Farmers Bank Building, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements vin Ratchet Brake-Levers; and l do hereby declare the following to be av full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

rlhis invention relates to that class of hand-actuated brake mechanisms wherein an oscillating movement of an operating lever or handle, is, through the medium of suitable clutch mechanism converted into a brake-applying movement of the brake stad. ln devices of this character it sometimes happens that after eiecting a hand application of the brakes in this way, the brakes will stick and fail to release properly. lf at such times the brake staff could be given a reverse or .brake-releasing movement this would be sufficient in most cases to effect a proper release of the brakes. As the function of the clutch mechanism is to couple the handle to the staff in the brake-applying direction of'movement and to uncouple the handle in its reverse or retractive movement this clutch mechanism is incapable of heilig utilized for the purpose of effecting a reverqe `or brake-releasing movement of the sta rlhe object of my invention is to provide simple and edective means by which this reverse or so-called brake-releasing movement may be imparted to the brake stad.

The invention accordingly consists in providing a movable connection capable of being projected into engagement with the brake staff to thereby constitute a direct connection between the handle and stad by which the requisite brake-releasing movement of the staff may be effected.

ln the specific embodiment herein chosen to illustrate the invention, the operating handle is carried by a sleeve rotatably engagged on the bralre and the movable connection is mounted. on the closed upper end of this sleeve in position to be projected Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 22, 1913.

Patented .Fari/n.6, 19ML,

seriarivo. 762,942.

ln the drawings: Figure l is a vertical sectional view of a hand-actuated bra-key mechanism embodying the invention; Eig. 2 is a plan view of the same, with a portion of the cap which forms the closedupper end of the sleeve, broken away to illustrate the engagement of the movable connection with the upper end of the brake staff; Fig. 3 is a broken detail View of a slight modification.

Referring to the drawings in detail: 5 designates a brake staff and 6 a handle or hand lever for operating the same. The brakev stad is journaled in a suitable bearing bracket 7 and it i-s connected with the brake rigging of the car by the usual chain or other suitable connecting medium` (the latter not shown). 'llhe handle is engaged upon the staff by means of a sleeve 8 to which it is connected, this sleeve being loosely rotatable on the stad so as to permit of the oscillating movement of the handle in respect to the staff. ln this particular case the handle is shown pivotally connected with 'the sleeve by means of a pivot pin or bolt 9, so that when not in use it may be folded down out of the way as indicated in Fig. l.

The clutch mechanism in the case herein illustrated is in the form of a ratchet l0 fast on the stad and an engaging pawl 1l carried by the sleeve, the pawl being mounted so that it may slide in a plane transverse of the stad7 into and out of engagement with the ratchet and a spring` l2 being provided for engaging the pawl with the ratchet. Illhe operation of this mechanism will be obvious; when the handle is swunga clockwise as shown in Fig. 2, the pawl will make positive engagement with the teeth. of the ratchet and the brake stad will thereby be given, a p tial rotary movement in the direction of termined position.

applying the brakes. As the handle is swung back in the reverse direction, the pawl will slip past the teeth of the ratchet without having any eect on it. In this way, the oscillatory movement of the handle is converted into a brake-applying movement of the staff. During the reverse or retractive, movement of the handle the brake sta may be held against reverse rotation by means of the customary foot pawl (not shown). Means are usually provided also for automatically unclutching the handle from the stati' when the handle is turned to a prede- Such a means is here shown in the form of the two cam members 13 which, when the handle is swun through a predetermined arc, engage a ependent lug l14 on the pawl and retract it from engagement with the ratchet.

' The movable connection or connector which forms the medium through which the brake-releasing movement is imparted to the sta is, in Figs. 1 and 2, designated 15,it 'being there shown in the form of a pin or plunger slidingly guided in an opening 16 in the cap 17, which forms a closed upper end to the sleeve. This cap is shown assecured fast upon the sleeve by means of the two key pins 18which, as indicated in Fig.

2, are engaged in registering openings in the Walls of the cap and sleeve respectively. A common practice has been to fasten` the ratchet or relatively fixed clutch member on the staff by making the stati' with a squared or flattened upper end and the clutch mem* ber with a correspondingly shaped opening to tit the ends In this first .form of the invention, I propose to take advantage of the flattened shape thus given the stal for securing a gripping engagement with the staff. Thus in the illustration the sta is formed with a' squared end portion 19 on which the ratchet is engaged and the movable connector'l is so constructed and arranged that when projected downward, it will grip against one of the flat sides of such squared portion.

Fig. 2 illustrates how the inner wall of the cap and the squared portion of the statt form between them, in effect, a keyway for the reception of the movable connector.

When the connector is projected into this keyway, it serves to key the sleeve, and hence the handle carried. thereby, to the stati". The connector, when thus operated, provides a positive connection between the handle and stall' by which the stati' may be rotated in either direction. The movable connector is preferably provided with a head or handle portion 2l on its upper end `for operating the same, and a spring 22 or equivalent device may be provided for normally holding the connector in its retracted position. This spring may be protected from injury by inclosing it within an upstanding annular rim or flange 23, which, in connection with the outstanding head 2l, serves to effectualy house the spring. An abutment 24 may e provided for limiting the upward retractive movement of the connector.

The form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 3 as applied to a shaft, the end of which is necessarily flattened, is similar to the form already described except that in this case the movable connector,here designated 25, is made to engage in any one 'of a series of seats or sockets 26 formed in the end of the sta'. It will be observed that this form 4of connector, as Well as the 'form of connector shown in Figs. 1 and 2, makes a connection ywhich may be manipulated like a latch to convert an oscillating movement of the brake handle into a rotary movement of the stati 'in either direction.

Theadvantage of mounting the connector upon the closed upper end .of the sleeve which carries the handle will be readily appreciated because it will be seen that this places it in a convenient position to be contudinally of the sta-fl'. It is possible, how j ever, to have the connector act on or through the clutch pawl so that the projection of the connector is eilective to lock the pawl against retraction and thereby establish positive connection between the handle and the statt.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. In hand-actuated brake mechanism, the combination with a brake-stati", a sleeve rotatably engaged on the staff, an operating handle carried by the sleeve and clutch mechanism for converting an oscillating movement of the handle into a brake-applying movement of the stan?, of a movable connector carried by the sleeve' adaptedto be projected into engagement with the` staffv to thereby provide an auxiliary connection between the handle and statt for effecting a brake releasing movement of the staff.

2. In hand-actuated brake mechanism, the combination with a brake sta', a sleeve rotatably engaged on the stalll and provided with a closed upper end overlying the upper end of the staff, an operating handle carried by the sleeve, and clutch' mechanism l for converting an oscillating movement'o the handle into a brake-applying movement of the statt, of a movable connector mounted on the closed upperi end of the sleeve adapt- "ed to be projected downward into engagement with the upper end of the sta to thereby provide an auxiliary connection between the handle and stati" for effectinga brake releasing. movement of the staff.

3. In hand-actuated brake mchanism, the

' combination with a.' brake staff, a sleeve rotatably. engage'd on the staff, an operating handle carried by the sleeve, and clutch mechanism for converting an oscillating movement of the handle into a brake-applying movement of the stati, of aretractile connection carried by the sleeve adapted tov be projected into engagement with thestaii',

`and a spring acting on the said connection to normally hold the same disengaged from the staff.

4. In hand-actuated brake mechanism, the

combination of a brake staH, a sleeve rotatably combination of a brake stad, a ratchet'fast on the stati', a sleeve rotatably engaged on the staff, a handle for o erating said sleeve, a pawl carried by the s eeve ada ted to be projected transversely of the sta into engagement with the ratchet on the stad', and an auxiliaryconnection carried by the sleeve adapted to be projected longitudinally of the stati into engagement with the stad.

6. In hand-actuated brake mechanism, the combination of a brake sta? a sleeve rotatably engaged on the stati, said stad and sleeve haying a recess therebetween forming a keyway, an operating handle carried by the sleeve, clutch lmechanism between the sleeve and stati" for converting an oscillating movement 'lof the handle and sleeve into a brake-applyin movement of the brake staff and a retracti e key mounted on the sleeve adapted to b e projected into the keyway aforesaid to thereby form a positive connection between the sleeve and stati',

7. In hand-actuated brake mechanism, the combination of a brake staff provided with a flattened end portion, a clutch member fastened on the stati? by being engaged on the end portion thereof, a sleeve rotatably engaged on .the staff, an operating handle carried by the sleeve, a clutch member carried by the sleeve for cooperation with t-he clutch member fast on the stai to convert an oscillating movement of the handle and sleeve into a brake-applying movement of the sta, and a retractile member mounted on the sleeve adapted to be projected into engagement with a flat portion of the staii to constitute a direct connection between the sleeve and staii'. i

8. In hand-actuated brake v(mechanism, the combination of a brake staif, asleeve rotatably engaged thereon, a handle carried by said sleeve, a clutch mechanism Jfor cnverting an oscillating movement of the handle and sleeve into a brake-applying movement of the stati, a connector slidably mounted on the sleeve and adapted to be projected into engagement with the staff, a head on ,the outer end of the connector for operating the same, an annular-Han e carried by the sleeve and surrounding t e connector and a retracting spring seated within the said tiange and engagedi beneath the head ofthe connector.

Inj testimony whereof I aiiix my signature9 in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT H. BLACKALL.

Witnesses:

M. A. BILL, WILMAM Il., Davis.

sol 

